Penn State alumna’s career navigates global crises, shifting political landscape

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Kayla King-Majstorović began her graduate studies at the Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA) in 2018, she could not have foreseen how much the world would change in just two years. Nor could she have predicted, when she completed her master’s degree from SIA in December 2019, the extent to which her career would be defined by unexpected shifts and quick pivots. And although King-Majstorović has long held a desire to be a difference maker and an advocate for vulnerable people, she could not have known that in the first six-plus years of her career, she would serve on emergency response teams addressing some of the biggest crises across the world, including COVID-19, and conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Through it all, she has exhibited a knack for adaptability — cultivated, she said, in part through her time in the Peace Corps prior to enrolling at Penn State — and has utilized a robust and broad skillset to make a positive impact across the world, at every step of her career thus far.

“The Peace Corps gave me a foundation, and SIA really focused that foundation into key toolkit areas for me that I can rely on in any role,” King-Majstorović said.

Responding to global emergencies

Within months of completing her master’s degree, King-Majstorović stepped into a position as a COVID-19 emergency specialist in Copenhagen with the World Health Organization (WHO). Utilizing skills and knowledge developed at SIA, she said, she assisted in the pandemic response by analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to guide 53 countries in the European region in applying non-pharmaceutical public health and social measures.

In 2022, she began a new position with WHO Europe as a program management officer for the Ukrainian emergency response. She deployed to Ukraine — where she had previously lived and worked during her time in the Peace Corps — as well as 10 refugee hosting countries, where she worked to support healthcare access for refugees.

The next year, she moved up to chief of staff for the Emergencies Division at WHO Europe, where her portfolio broadened beyond Ukraine to include 10 concurrent emergencies in countries and regions such as Gaza, Türkiye and Nagorno Karabakh. In this role, she coordinated emergency response teams, operations, communications, and advocacy for the Emergencies Division.

In 2024, King-Majstorović shifted away from emergency response to pursue work in the field of humanitarian advocacy, leaving WHO Europe to take a position at Global Health Strategies (GHS), an international organization that works on a range of issues surrounding health and well-being. At GHS, she managed communications and advocacy campaigns for clients around the world, including the United Nations, NGOs, philanthropies, governments, and departments of health.

In 2025, a new challenge emerged — this time, the crisis was budgetary and political. Facing a drop in funding availability, due in part to the United States’ withdrawal from WHO, GHS terminated her position, King-Majstorović said.

As she has demonstrated throughout her career, however, she was able to rely on her “key toolkit” of skills and a strong professional network to make another career pivot, she said. She has instead turned to independent consultancy roles, working with various projects and partners, including the EUROCAM Coalition, the European Union, and the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in India. She also worked with the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Woskob New Century Fund for Ukraine, focusing on agricultural recovery efforts in the wartime context.

Reflecting on her education and career path, King-Majstorović said she credits her adaptable approach for much of her success.

“I walked into SIA thinking my career would be engaging in international education policy. Now, I have marked experience in any number of 10 various disciplines within international development and humanitarianism,” she said. “At SIA, I built myself an arsenal to fall back on in case I ever wanted to make a career pivot, and that has proved incredibly prescient.”

Broader lessons for global affairs professionals

While King-Majstorović’s specific career path may be unique, she said her approach of building useful, marketable, and adaptable skills is a valuable model for any globally engaged student or young professional.

International affairs graduates of the past 5-10 years have had their early-professional careers impacted by significant disruptions: a global pandemic, oscillating U.S. foreign policy priorities, drastic funding cuts and new funding models, and a substantial, targeted reduction of the federal workforce. And yet, those same disturbances have shined a new light on the pressing need for skilled international affairs professionals — in fields such as policy, diplomacy, business, security, and development — according to Mitchell Smith, SIA director and professor of international affairs.

King-Majstorović pointed to specific courses and experiences at SIA that helped her grow into a skilled professional. SIA’s econometrics and statistics courses helped her develop data and quantitative analysis skills; policy and diplomacy-related coursework challenged her to translate data into usable guidance for senior leadership.

Outside the classroom, she completed multiple graduate research assistant positions, served as a Peace Corps recruiter for Penn State, and completed a capstone internship in Copenhagen that helped her get her foot in the door at WHO Europe.

It’s easy to see how this approach can translate to success in a wide range of international affairs-related fields, she said.

“Try everything — even if it’s not in your ‘wheelhouse,’ you need to be open to new things that broaden your knowledge and skills,” King-Majstorović said. “Your niche interests matter, of course, but if a certain pathway doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to sample from a rich menu in the world of diplomacy, development, and humanitarianism.”

She also stressed the importance of networking, and the value of the SIA and Penn State network in particular.

“Looking for a new job or a new opportunity can be scary, but you have a lot of Penn Staters around the world — more than 800,000 — who are always willing to throw out a helping hand,” King-Majstorović said. “Do not discount your professional and personal network and always continue to help it grow.”

Just as King-Majstorović could not have foreseen the specific crises that would impact her career, no one can predict what the global affairs landscape might look like in the next 5-10 years, Smith said. He added that history and the current moment show that the world will continue to experience disruptions — health emergencies, violent conflict, political upheavals — and that businesses, organizations, and governments increasingly will look to international affairs professionals to help navigate the waters.

King-Majstorović said she agrees.

“We have been seeing a very pervasive episode in diplomacy, development, and humanitarianism where a new administration has the power to disrupt very quickly, and that can make the outlook seem bleak,” she said. “But there will continue to be opportunities and a need for the skills and value we bring to the table. It’s all about finding your niche, growing your expertise, and — most importantly — enjoying what you do. Don’t lose focus on that.”